Friday, 18 November 2016

Old Buckenham Women's InstituteMembers of Old Buckenham WI welcomed friends and guests from neighbouring WIs to their Birthday Party on Thursday 27 October.

After a bring and share supper and a glass of wine, they were entertained by Rachel Duffield, who told her audience about the life and times of Matilda Wood, professionally known as Marie Lloyd, who was born in London in 1870. She made her professional debut in 1884 as Bella Delmere and changed her name to Marie Lloyd the following year.

She frequently topped the bill in London’s West End theatres. By the mid 1890’s she was in frequent dispute with Britain’s theatre censors due to the risqué contents of her songs. Marie Lloyd had a turbulent private life that was often the subject of press attention – she was married three times, divorced twice and frequently found herself giving court testimony against two of her husbands who had physically abused her. Privately, she suffered from bouts of ill-health and became alcohol-dependent. In 1922 she gave her final performance at the Alhambra Theatre, London, during which she became ill on stage. She died a few days later at the age of 52.In addition to highlighting Marie Lloyd’s career, Rachel interspersed her talk with the songs that are always associated with Marie Lloyd.

After the entertainment the birthday cake, made by Jean Wade, was cut and sherry served and Mike Bartlett toasted the WI. He said that Old Buckenham WI had achieved a lot in their 49 years and there was much to look forward to in their 50th year.